Perseverance
by ChocolateWonder
Summary: A collection of drabbles about a man whose bravery was not recognized until his death. Written for Snape Appreciation Weekend.
1. Roots

_**Written for Snape Appreciation Weekend at Hogwarts:** Son- Write about his relationship with one or both of his parents._

 _Word Count: 243_

* * *

Severus winced as a sickening _crack_ echoed throughout the room as his father's hand connected with his mother's face.

"You liar!" he accused, his voice laced with fury, "My son is not a wizard. He is a normal boy, and we will raise him as such. None of this foolish nonsense will never be mentioned again as long as you are under my roof. Understood?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice hoarse. She had no other alternative response, as any protests would have angered her husband further.

"Good," said Tobias stiffly, "now get up, you miserable scumbag, and prepare our evening meal."

Eileen just stood there and took his abusive words without complaint, but Severus could sense her inner turmoil as if it were his own. She was afraid of her husband.

She entered the small, dank kitchen and mechanically began to pull out pots and ladles. She could not afford a brand-new stove, so she was resigned to use the conventional method: the hearth.

"Mum?" asked Severus hesitantly, "How do you manage to put up with Dad?"

Eileen doesn't reply at once, leading him to believe that she hadn't heard him. He repeated the question once more before he heard a soft response.

"Sweetheart," she murmurs, making his heart warm, "never treat a woman like your father treats me. Be kind and sensitive towards their feelings."

Her voice rings bitterly in his ears, but it's a valuable piece of advice he'll never forget.


	2. Broken Friendship

**Written for Snape Appreciation Weekend at Hogwarts:** _Friend- Write about his relationship with Lily, Dumbledore, or someone else he could have realistically been friends with._

 _Word Count: 279_

* * *

"He fancies you, James Potter fancies you!" The words are ripped out from his chest. "And he's not…everyone thinks…big Quidditch hero – "

Bitterness and loathing washes over him, smearing his words together.

Lily stares at him, her green eyes steady, her eyebrows rising. "I know James Potter's a toerag," she interrupts him and his heart sings, drowning out the rest of her sentence.

Lily doesn't like Potter. She doesn't like him one bit. Severus dares to hope.

Only to have his heart smashed in one incident.

He calls her a Mudblood by accident, but she doesn't see it that way. She thinks it was intentional. From the carrying whispers, she knows all people like him use the offensive slander. She knows it's aimed at all Muggleborns like her and he was deliberately refraining from using it in order to mask his true colors.

He begs her to take him back. She adamantly refuses, cracking his heart.

 _Fool_ , he thinks resentfully, she would have been safer with him. But it's too late to salvage what remains of her positive opinion of him.

He watches as she gives her heart away to another man, a man that is not him. A man who is undeserving of her affections, who she believes to be noble and kind.

He watches in agony as she willingly surrenders her life to Death in order to protect her son. A boy who is as insolent as his father, but sometimes reminds him of Lily's most remarkable traits: her iron will, her compassion, and her piercing stare. Those traits continue to haunt him throughout his life.

Because of his little slip-up, he is now a broken man.


	3. Faithful Follower

**Written for Snape Appreciation Weekend at Hogwarts:** _Death Eater_ _-_ _Write about Severus in Voldemort's army._

 _Word Count: 580_

* * *

"My Lord," says Severus, bowing and resisting the urge to wrinkle his nose, "may I ask why you have summoned me here?"

The Dark Lord's face is impassive. "What is your progress on bringing about the old man's death?"

"We are getting closer to accomplishing it, My Lord," Severus replies, building a brick wall to keep the Dark Lord out of his mind. He can feel his mind being invaded by the Dark Lord, but he effectively manages to block him.

"Very well," replies the Dark Wizard, "I will take your word for it."

Severus almost snorts.

"You have been my most faithful follower so far," the Dark Lord continues, "but I will have to rethink that if you fail your mission."

Severus nods, his expression a carefully controlled mask of indifference. "I understand, My Lord."

"You're dismissed."

Severus bows once more before retreating from the room.

"Well?" He is immediately ambushed by Bellatrix upon closing the door. "What did he want?"

"If you must know, he wanted to know how much progress we had made on our… _project_ ," responds Severus coolly.

Bellatrix smirks at the easy admission from him. "Did he ask about me?"

"No." Severus takes great pleasure in seeing her face fall.

"Oh," she says sadly, "he rarely asks to see me nowadays. It's almost as if—"

Her eyes narrow dangerously. Severus takes one step back as her face reddens.

"—I'm being replaced."

He waits for the temper tantrum to commence, stuffing his hand into the pocket where his wand is. It has never

"I'm being _replaced_ ," she says slowly, her face gradually darkening as the revelation sinks in, "by a _teacher_."

She spits out the title like it is bile. Severus backs away as her fury makes a small window shatter. He withdraws his wand and repairs it wordlessly, but doesn't stow his wand away.

She rounds on him, anger sparking a tempestuous storm in her eyes. Her eyes, if possible, blacken even more.

Bellatrix advances on him, but Severus is not fazed. With ease, he steps forward to meet her.

He can feel her hot, heavy breath on his ear she whispers threateningly, "You will never take my position from me. I have worked long and arduously for that honor, so you will not rob it from me."

"Oh?" Severus feigns surprise. "I didn't know I have suddenly become the Dark Lord's lapdog. Last time I checked, _you_ held that position."

He's secretly enjoying the way her face is murderous. He's have fun goading her on, but she can't retaliate lest she displease her master.

"I am _not_ his lapdog," she hisses furiously, "I am his most valuable and loyal servant."

"Right," he drawls, "which is exactly why he called _me_ his most faithful follower, or were you not eavesdropping at the door? That was a exceptional act you put on."

"I—that is," she sputtered incoherently, "I was not _eavesdropping_. Did I not ask you whether he had mentioned me? I would have _known_."

He knows he's treading in hazardous waters, but he takes immense pleasure in his next words, "That's right," he says smoothly, watching her face become blank in shock, "you're no longer the Dark Lord's most reliable servant. He no longer trusts you with confidential information after that skirmish at the Ministry."

Her face whitens at his biting words. She is barely restraining herself from lunging at him and throttling him.

Instead, she huffs, sends him a scorching glare, and storms off.


	4. Subtle Support

**Written for Snape Appreciation Weekend at Hogwarts:** _Professor- Write about about Severus during his many years at Hogwarts._

 _Word Count: 247_

* * *

Snape despises Dolores Umbridge. He really, genuinely does.

She is menace disguised in atrocious pink clothing. Her voice is seemingly sweet yet drips with poison. She thinks she's got the teachers supporting the Minister's regime change, but really, the staff has just given up after Albus mysteriously disappeared.

She wages a war with Potter, which Severus believes is going to end up as a stalemate like his own personal war with Potter. However, it seems that Potter has the upper hand, despite Dolores's numerous restrictive decrees. He has his father's sense of rebellion and openly calls her out.

He thinks it's dangerous, that Potter could possibly be expelled if he continues these reckless shenanigans. Creating an army of students right under her nose and nearly getting away it should be grounds for a suspension, or if Dolores is feeling particularly vindictive, an expulsion.

Of course, that would mean Potter is sent back to live with his abusive relatives, so he doesn't really favor that either.

So Snape says nothing. He is respectable teacher and he must maintain his reputation as such if he wants to remain in everyone's good graces.

The teachers opt to do the same thing as him. They silently support the rebellion, contributing subtly to the effort. Minerva tells him that she saw Peeves trying to unscrew a chandelier and gave him some advice.

Filius has preserved a part of the swamp the Weasley twins had created as a memorial of sorts. He calls it great Charm work.

And Snape says nothing.


	5. A Spy's Vulnerability

**Written for Snape Appreciation Weekend at Hogwarts:** _Spy- Write about Severus after he joined the Order, either war._

 **Are You Crazy Enough To Do It Challenge** _\- 579. Dunderhead_

 _Word Count: 370_

* * *

"Listen to me, my dear Severus," says Albus solemnly, "you mustn't do anything rash. If you adhere to the plan, nothing will go wrong. It's only a matter of self-control."

Severus bites back a retort. He doesn't really have a choice. He has to spy on Dumbledore in order to remain the Dark Lord's most reliable confidant, while really relaying important information to the Order.

"Of course," says Snape frostily.

He works for two men and both are absolutely dunderheads who are drunk with power and want to win over the world. The only difference is that the Dark Lord wants evil to reign and he wants to rule the world by himself.

"I am trusting you, Severus," Albus says, clasping his hand. "This is a tremendous favor I am asking of you."

You defeat one villain and you think the world owes you, thinks Severus bitterly, but he acquiesces.

"Excellent," murmurs Albus. "You are a truly vital person to our cause, Severus."

I know.

He nods affirmatively, plastering a neutral expression on his face. The headmaster smiles, unaware of Severus's growing vexation.

Albus sits back, his eyes twinkling infuriatingly. Severus waits for his dismissal, but it doesn't come.

"Well?" Severus prompts.

"You're not happy with me." It was an amused statement. So he _had_ noticed his irritation.

"What made you think that?" Severus queries sardonically.

"You're not very good at guarding your thoughts," says Albus. "More Occlumency lessons should do the trick."

Severus deduces from that statement that Albus Dumbledore should be classified as insane. Knowing that his headmaster knew Legilimency was not a huge surprise, considering his previous master knew it too. Severus knows Occlumency, but is not very skilled at it. Knowing that his vulnerability could cost him his life is unnervingly terrifying.

Albus's calculating eyes are boring into his own, unsettling him. His headmaster could probe his mind with no resistance and learn his secrets, motivations, and his past, which was something Severus did not want to be exposed.

So he avoids Albus's eyes and averts them to his lap. Albus sighs, adjusting his spectacles before saying wearily, "You can leave."

And so Severus leaves, feeling that his privacy is more in danger than anything else.


End file.
